We hosted a dinner for my side of the family. I made the whole roast turkey dinner with trimmings, but on a very small scale. My mum is on a holiday. And my sister is in Japan. So it was just my dad, my brother, his wife and the four of us.

My typical-Chinese, mafia-leader dad [slight exaggeration], who never, ever cooked a meal for us as kids, who I was suspicious couldn’t cook 2 minutes noddles, turned up with a plate of scrumptiously grilled frankfurters, carefully skewered and wrapped in bacon – that he made HIMSELF. Very funny to see my dad, in the absence of my mother’s kitchen tyranny, bud into quite the culinary genius. Scary too.

I figured I’d mess with tradition and let the kids open one present. It didn’t seem to make sense that they couldn’t enjoy their gifts during the whole party/celebration. No surprise Callum opened the biggest present – a very large cement truck. Man, he was SO HAPPY AND EXCITED. He, cement truck, instant best friends. The last time he was glued to a toy, was when I bought him that rake.

(Note for photograph – Notice the SCREAMING PINK WALLS? I can’t believe we lived with them for 2 years. Well, they are no longer!!)